THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: Sunday, September 24, 1995 TAG: 9509240182 SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C15 EDITION: FINAL SOURCE: BOB HUTCHINSON LENGTH: Medium: 93 lines
Don Schwab of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries has some good news and some bad news for hunters in Southeastern Virginia.
Schwab, who lives in Suffolk, has been the agency's wildlife biologist covering Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and Suffolk, as well as Accomack, Northampton, Southampton, Sussex, Surry, Prince George, Isle of Wight and Greensville counties. The 1995-96 upland game forecast was one of his last duties before transferring to the agency's nongame program.
The good news is that Schwab expects some outstanding whitetail racks to be bagged in the area, with the size of the average animal up from a year ago.
The bad news is that he expects the total deer kill in the area to dip slightly.
``We should still have a fair to good season,'' he said. ``I just think the kill will be below last year's.''
Here are Schwab's predictions for the area's other upland game birds and animals:
Bear: Numbers are high. Based on sightings and crop-damage complaints, bear hunters should have an outstanding season. The only problem will be finding a place to hunt. But summer crop damage was high, and local farmers should have a more favorable response than usual.
Turkey: Production was good, so there should be good numbers of young birds available. One observation, though, is that a high spring harvest, such as this year's, usually is followed by a reduced fall harvest.
Dove: Good numbers are present throughout the district. Unless some weather pushes them out, the early season should be very good. The late season depends on production north of us and on weather conditions.
Railbird: Early flooding may have limited nesting success. Numbers were down on two survey plots on the Eastern Shore.
Squirrel: With last year's excellent mast (natural food) crop and overall conditions this spring, hunters should have an excellent year.
Rabbit: Cottontails are plentiful, provided you have a good place to hunt.
Quail: Good numbers of pairs and coveys are reported in attractive habitat, but that habitat isn't plentiful. Still, hunters with good pots should fare well.
SHOW TIME: If you're interest in boats, either power or sail, Waterside Marina in downtown Norfolk should be the place to be next weekend. The Virginia In-Water Power and Sail Expo will drop anchor Friday through Sunday, with sponsors expecting more than 150 displayed craft.
It will be the area's first in-water show since 1992, when Waterside Marina also was the host site.
Boats will be displayed both at the marina and on the grounds next to Waterside, with marine equipment displays under a tent on the grounds.
Throughout the weekend, free seminars will be offered on everything from saltwater fly fishing to deep-sea fishing.
Hours will be 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission will be $5 for adults, $2 for those under 10.
OFF LIMITS: A proposal to ban commercial fishing on the artificial reefs created with funds from the state's saltwater fishing license will be considered Tuesday by the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. The meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. in commission headquarters at 2600 Washington Ave., Newport News. Fishery matters, including the reef issue, will be taken up at noon.
Several reefs have been created in the Chesapeake Bay and within the state's 3-mile coastal zone, using funds from the license.
A STEP CLOSER: Mark Campbell is practically keeping Jimmy Kolb awake at night.
Kolb leads in the chase to become angler of the year in the Virginia Salt Water Water Fishing Tournament, having earned citation awards for nine species. But Campbell, like Kolb a Virginia Beach resident, is just one behind. Campbell earned his eighth award a few days ago when he boated a 1-pound spot at Rudee Inlet.
The contest runs through Dec. 31.
GOOD, GETTING BETTER: The Virginia Marine Science Museum, on General Booth Boulevard in Virginia Beach, is getting even better.
A $35 million expansion program, to be completed in two phases, will make the museum one of the top marine science/aquarium facilities in the nation.
The first phase, the 20,000 square-foot Owls Creek Marsh Pavilion, will be completed this winter, according to director C. Mac Rawls. The Atlantic Ocean Pavilion and the IMAX 3-D Theater are to be finished by next summer.
The expansion will triple the museum's size to 120,000 square feet.
The project is being aided by matching $25,000 grants from the Virginia Environmental Endowment and the Virginia Beach Garden Club.
SHORT CASTS: John Grook of Chesapeake recently caught 10 coho salmon on a trip to Ketchikan, Alaska. . . . Oct. 20 is the deadline for applying for applications from the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries for the 600 swan-hunting permits it will issue. Details are available by calling the department's Williamsburg office at 1-804-253-7072. . . . Fisherman's Wharf Marina at Rudee Inlet and the Virginia Anglers Club of Richmond will co-host an amberjack/cobia tournament out of the marina Saturday and Sunday. For details, contact Dr. James C. Wright at 481-2626. by CNB